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Holosteus

Holosteus is a genus of prehistoric barracudina known from the Eocene of Europe. It contains a single species, H. esocinus from the Early Eocene of Italy. Indeterminate specimens are also known from the earlier Eocene-aged Fur Formation of Denmark.

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Holosteus
Temporal range: Early Eocene,
A well-preserved fossil of Holosteus esocinus, an extinct ray-finned fish, in light brown stone. The fossil fish has a slender, elongated body and is shown with its mouth open.
Specimen of H. esocinus, Museo di Storia Naturale di Verona
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Actinopterygii
Order: Aulopiformes
Family: Paralepididae
Subfamily: †Holosteinae
Genus: †Holosteus
Agassiz, 1835
Species:
†H. esocinus
Binomial name
†Holosteus esocinus
Agassiz, 1835

Holosteus (meaning "complete skeleton") is a genus of prehistoric barracudina known from the Eocene of Europe. It contains a single species, H. esocinus from the Early Eocene of Italy (Monte Bolca). Indeterminate specimens are also known from the earlier Eocene-aged Fur Formation of Denmark.12

It was previously presumed to be a needlefish by Louis Agassiz3 or potentially a lanternfish by Arthur Smith Woodward4, but is now known to be one of the few barracudinas known from the fossil record. Due to several unique morphological traits, it appears to belong to its own subfamily Holosteinae, alongside the closely related Pavlovichthys from the Early Oligocene of eastern Europe. Pavlovichthys was previously synonymized with Holosteus, extending the range of the latter genus to the Oligocene, but more recent studies have again split the two genera.156

Due to the excellent preservation of specimens, the coloration of Holosteus is known; it appears to have had a dark-pigmented band extending across the dorsum from the head to caudal fin. This coloration is also seen in modern barracudinas such as Lestidium.1

It is the only barracudina known to have inhabited a shallow-water environment, as modern barracudinas are primarily deepwater fish. Like modern barracudinas, it was likely an ambush predator, and the first member of the family known to have evolved such a lifestyle.1

References

References

  1. Marramà, Giuseppe; Carnevale, Giorgio (2017). "Morphology, relationships and palaeobiology of the Eocene barracudina †Holosteus esocinus (Aulopiformes: Paralepididae) from Monte Bolca, Italy". Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society. 181 (1): 209–228. doi:10.1093/zoolinnean/zlw029. ISSN 0024-4082.
  2. "†Holosteus Agassiz 1835 (ray-finned fish)". The Paleobiology Database.
  3. Zoology, Harvard University Museum of Comparative (1906). Bulletin of the Museum of Comparative Zoology. The Museum.
  4. Geology, British Museum (Natural History) Department of; Woodward, Arthur Smith (1901). Catalogue of the Fossil Fishes in the British Museum (Natural History): Actinopterygian Teleostomi of the suborders Isospondyli (in part), Ostariophysi, Apodes, Percesoces, Hemibranchii, Acanthopterygii, and Anacanthini. order of the Trustees.
  5. Přikryl, Tomáš; Kania, Iwona; Krzemiński, Wiesław (2016). "Synopsis of fossil fish fauna from the Hermanowa locality (Rupelian; Central Paratethys; Poland): current state of knowledge". Swiss Journal of Geosciences. 109 (3): 429–443. doi:10.1007/s00015-016-0216-5. ISSN 1661-8726.
  6. Danilʹchenko, P. G. (1967). Bony Fishes of the Maikop Deposits of the Caucasus: Kostistye Ryby Maĭkopskikh Otlozheniĭ Kavkaza. Israel Program for Scientific Translations [available from the U.S. Department of Commerce, Clearinghouse for Federal Scientific and Technical Information, Springfield, Va.]